Searching for Occupational Therapy Schools near Washington, MO? Let us help you find the perfect OTA school for you!

Once youbegin your search for Occupational therapy Assistant schools in Washington, MO, you shouldquicklyrealize that there has never been a better time topursue a career as an OTA. The United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statisticspredicts jobs in this particularfield to grow by 43% over the 10 year period 2010-2020, this is over 12,000 new Occupational Therapy Assistant jobs! The better news is the fact that the averageOccupational Therapy Assistant wageis over $53,000 annuallywhich makes itamong the best paying medicalprofessions that does not require a Four Year Degree.

Occupational Therapy Schools in Washington, MO

The initial steptowards a career as an OTA is finding the rightOccupational Therapy Training Program. There are at this timealmosttwo hundred accredited occupational therapy schools in the US and Puerto Rico and nearly all the schools accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) offer Occupational Therapist Assistant degrees and Master’s Degrees, with many also offering Doctoral degrees. Before youdive in andpick a school, it is very important toanalyze all of the optionsto makecertainyou find an Occupational Therapy training program that suits all your preferences.

Details YouShould ConsiderWhen Picking an Occupational Therapy School

Accreditation

Accreditation by the ACOTE is important because you can becertainyou willbe taught the full range ofskillsnecessary to bea competent OTA.

Curriculum

Occupational Therapy Assistants work with patients on a wide array ofconditions and disorders therefore it isvery important that your course work is very wide-rangingand not too focused onone particulardiscipline.

Clinical Training

Another really importantfactoryou should think about is the clinical education experience. This is yourhands-on training, and thisis whereyou will interact with real patients and put your skills to use. Some schools applysignificantly more time on your actual practicaltraining in comparison withother training programs. In cases where your school is not spendinglarge amounts of time with clinical training, be sure that youask why.

Class Size

Something else to also consider is the class sizes. The size of can vary greatly from school to school. Make sure to find out the class sizes at all the schools you are considering. Remember, the smaller the classes , the more one-on-one timethat you receive with thetrainers.

Online Training

Taking Occupational Therapy Classes Online may not work for every student. However, for some online courses can easesome of the burdens of being a full time student. Job and familyare oftendriven aside as students continue their schooling and online classes can providea bit of flexibility to a busy schedule.

Graduation Rate

The finalitemyou need tolook intobefore selecting an Occupational Therapy School is the graduation rate of the training programsyou are looking at. Make sure to find out how many studentsfinish the program, what their opinions were, and how many of them have gone on tobecome Occupational Therapy Assistants.

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What to Expect in OTA School

Generally the course work is approximatelytwo years, with the first year being mostlyclass-roomteaching and with the second year spent doing hands on training in a medical facility or private carepractice. Some of the course work a student will be required to take includes pediatrics, gerontology, health carejargon, and physical rehab. All States that require licensure just call fora two year degree. A Bachelor’s Degree will beneededif you intend on becoming a full Occupational Therapist, but you will find that the majority of Occupational Therapist began their careers as Assistants and achieved their Bachelor’s Degrees several years later.

Licensing Information

Following graduation, those wanting toget started with their careers have to become licensed as an OTA. Each State has its own policies and specificationsthat will be governed by an occupational therapy board, with many being private and some run by the State exclusively. In Missouri, licensing is handled by the Missouri State Board of Occupational Therapy. Even thougheach State is different, there are a number of requirements which are common among the majority of them and can include the following.

A personapplying for an occupational therapy assistant certificatehas to be a U.S. citizen, must have a social security number and needs to have taken and passedacceptable college course work as well as taken and passed the NBCOT exam.

Every State requires a federal background check , but convictions are not alwaysimmediate grounds for dismissal. Several States may consider approving an occupational therapy license if a written affidavit is filed to describe the circumstances of the conviction. Other factors including time frame and nature of the transgression may be assessed and be taken into consideration to grant licensure .

Every State will have an Occupational Therapy Assistant licensure packagethat is going tocontain a number of forms to complete. You should notspend money on these forms from a third party as they can be accessed online from many legitimatewebsites. It is recommended to take a very in depth look through the paper work before attempting to complete them. You might have official transcripts needed; notarized signatures and many States will require you to include a fingerprint card which can be completed at a local police station.

Workplace for Occupational Therapy Assistants

An OTA works with a number of different patients that have needs that may bevery differentthan from the previous patient. You may beworking for an outpatient clinic with infantsthat have food or texture aversions or maybe a hospital rehabilitation center working with a middle age woman with psychological and mental struggles . Even though an occupational therapy assistant possessesa large number of job skills, some of the basics including following direction, keeping up to date with the most up to date techniques and implementing and employing the available technologiesare extremely important. Finally, a COTA also needs to be somewhat physically fit, asyou will have numerous instances of moving patients around, for example from a bed to a wheel chair.

If this looks like the career for you, then take a few minutes to fill out the search form at the top of this page. You will be shown a list of schools near Washington, MO that offer Occupational Therapy Assistant classes. Request information from as many schools as you’d like, and good luck in your future career!

Occupational Therapy Schools in Washington, MO reviewed by Grace MURRAY on June 3.

Great Info

Thank You for sharing such an informative website. I was able to find a lot of info about the OTA schools in my area and chose one that worked for me. I’m now ready to start my training and can’t wait to work as an Occupational Therapy Assistant.